The Hilltoppers defeated the Panthers (20-12 overall, 12-4 CUSA) in a thrilling, five-set match. WKU found themselves down by two points, 14-12, in the fifth set but scored four unanswered points to take the win and the tournament crown, 16-14.
With the victory, WKU has earned its 18th NCAA Tournament berth in program history, including its seventh straight and 11th in the last 12 seasons. The Hilltoppers have won 21 of a possible 24 CUSA championships (11 regular season, 10 tournament).
Four Hilltoppers finished in double digit kills, with outside hitter Alivia Skidmore leading the way with a career high of 25 kills. Middle hitter Faith Young finished with 19, opposite hitter Kaira Knox finished with 17, and middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele finished with 13. Libero Tayler Baron anchored the back row with 10 digs and Knox led at the net with four blocks. In addition, setter Callie Bauer posted a career high 67 assists.
Bauer, the 2025 Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year, was named CUSA tournament MVP. Baron, Young, and Skidmore were also named to the All-Tournament Team.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: 25-18
The Tops stormed out to a .500 hitting percentage in the first frame, led by Young with eight kills on a .800hitting percentage. WKU's defense was able to stifle the Panthers' offense with a block and 12 digs, keeping FIU to a .214 hitting percentage. A 5-0 run that started with the Tops down, 11-12, helped bolster them to a 16-11 lead and prevented the Panthers from getting any closer than four points. Alongside Young was Knox who contributed five kills. On the back row, Skidmore helped anchor the Hilltoppers with a set-best three digs while WKU saw defensive contributions from seven total players.
Set 2: 25-20
FIU wasn't going down without a fight, however, almost doubling their offensive performance from the first set and turning in a .429 hitting percentage. Skidmore led WKU's offense in the second set with six kills while Knox and Van De Wiele posted the only block of the set. The Tops were unable to answer their opponent's offensive efforts as the Panthers posted more kills and more digs. WKU collected 13 kills to FIU's 15, but five service errors prevented the Tops from gaining any momentum.
Set 3: 28-26
Attacking and serving errors plagued the Tops in the third set, with seven attack errors and five service errors being the difference between the two teams. Both teams posted the same number of kills (17), but WKU's .238 hitting percentage compared to FIU's .333 prevented the win. The bright spot in the third set, however, was the Hilltoppers' back row, finishing the frame with 16 digs. Baron, Bauer, and Knox all turned in four digs each, while defensive specialist Kennedy Cherry recorded two of her own. Skidmore posted eight kills to pace WKU's offense, and Bauer and defensive specialist Abby Schaefer combined for two service aces.
Set 4: 25-23
The fourth set was the most contested between the two squads as the score was tied 15 times and the lead changed hands a total of seven times. With WKU finding themselves down a set going into the fourth, the Tops started to build their offensive production back up, balancing the attack across four Hilltoppers who all posted at least three kills. Skidmore led with six, Knox posted four, and both Young and Van De Wiele contributed three kills of their own. With the score tied at 21, the Hilltoppers scored four points to FIU's two thanks to three kills from Skidmore and a Panthers' attack error. On the defensive side, Bauer posted a solo block while Knox and Van De Wiele brought the total to two in the set. With six different Hilltoppers registering a dig, five posted two digs and Schaefer led with three.
Set 5: 16-14
The fifth set was the most dramatic of the match, with WKU down by as many as two at 14-12 and coming back and scoring four straight points to win yet another CUSA tournament championship. Knox was perfect offensively, going 5-for-5, and was backed up by another three kills from Young. The Ohio native also registered the only solo block in the set while Knox and Van De Wiele recorded another block to bring the team total to two. Bauer continued her defensive efforts with another four digs, leading the back row in the final frame. In total, WKU turned in 12 kills to FIU's eight.
NOTABLES
- Alivia Skidmore's 25 kills is a career high for the sophomore, while the number was also a team high in kills.
- Sixty-seven assists is a career high for Callie Bauer. The redshirt senior is now 58 assists away from the 5,000 career assists mark.
- WKU posted more kills than FIU, 77 to 62.
- Over the 2024 and 2025 season, every match against FIU at the Ocean Bank Convocation Center has gone to five sets.
- 10 of the 12 Hilltoppers that appeared in Sunday's match posted at least one dig.
- Seventy-seven is the second greatest number of kills this season. WKU posted 80 in their five-set match against Sam Houston on Oct. 18.
- Faith Young's 19 kills on Sunday ties her career high.
UP NEXT
With the win, the Hilltoppers earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. WKU will learn of its opponent during the NCAA selection show on Nov. 30 at 5 p.m. CT. Details about attending the selection show will be posted later this week.
